Back

How to Gamemaster

For reference and instruction by new Gamemasters on their art.
May be read by the other players if desired.

The job of the Gamemaster in Metharism is perhaps the most difficult. You are required to have a thorough understanding of the mechanics of the game, as well as deep knowledge of the game world. You must be familiar with the characters being played by each of the players. You must plan ahead, but most importantly you must be able to think on your feet.

Game Mechanics

As the Gamemaster, you must know how the game works. Although I've tried to keep number-crunching to a minimum, there is still significant bookkeeping involved in playing a game of Metharism. Although you can allow each player to keep track of the details of his/her character on their own character sheets, you will also want to keep some private notes.

It may be helpful for players to know this information, especially if playing together in real life. If playing over the Internet, the Gamemaster should resolve all action checks himself and need not inform the players about them, except to report the results of the players' attempts at various actions.

Action Checks

Any time a player attempts to do something which has a questionable result, you must perform an action check. For example, a character shooting a crossbow at an archery target would need to perform an action check to see whether the dart hits its mark. No action check would be required for a player attempting to walk down a road, as success is assured (unless, for example, the Gamemaster determines that an earthquake occurs, in which case an action check may be required to maintain balance). No action check would be required for a player attempting to fly if they are not a Folex or Kesprit, as failure is assured. You may also simply make an arbitrary decision rather than making an action check if the result of the action is determined to be irrelevant to game play.

When a character does make an action check, you must determine the appropriate skill to be used. A character shooting a crossbow in the example above would use Crossbow skill. Determine the characteristic that is linked to that skill, and find the value of that characteristic for the player performing the action. Subtract the skill level of the skill in question (such as Crossbow) from the value of the characteristic to arrive at a base target number (or base TN, for short). The Gamemaster should then modify this TN based on the conditions, with positive modifiers representing difficult conditions and negative modifiers representing favorable conditions. For example, if the target is very small away or very small, the Gamemaster might impose a positive modifer. A positive modifer might also result from wind, unsure footing, darkness, a moving target, or a loud distracting noise. There might be a negative modifier if the target were very close or very large, or the character had the benefit of a vision aid (such as a spell for sharp sight). The task could also be made easier or harder by the quality of equipment being used. Of course, the task could not be attempted at all of a crossbow and at least one dart were not available.

Apply any modifiers to the base TN to get a modified TN. Then ask the player to roll two six-sided dice. Add the result of both die rolls together. If the result equals or exceeds the modified TN, the player was successful. If the player rolls a 2, then the action automatically fails, unless the Gamemaster has decided that failure is impossible. If the dice roll comes up a 12, then the action automatically succeeds, unless the Gamemaster has decided that success would be impossible. A player may spend a point of edge to re-roll both dice if he/she chooses, but the second result stands, even if it is worse than the first.

A player with natural aptitude for the skill in question should roll 3 six-sided dice and take the best two. A player who does not have the skill in question, or has the skill but has natural ineptitude for it, should roll 3 six-sided dice and take the worst two.

Sometimes it is desirable to determine not only whether the character succeeded or failed, but how well they did or how badly they failed. For example, if someone fired a crossbow at a living target and hit, they might only graze the target's leg or they might gouge out the eye or strike the heart. Also, they might hit, but hit a location that is more or less armored, which would alter the effectiveness of the hit. If they miss, they might strike the ground or a tree nearby (which might alert a previously unaware target), or they might not get the dart anywhere near the target (which would make it harder to retrieve, if it is still in tact at all). If this is the case, compare the result of the die roll to the modified TN. If the character succeeded, subtract the TN from the die roll to determine the margin of success. If the character failed, subtract the die roll from the TN to determine the margin of failure. The greater the margin of success or failure, the more dramatic the result should be. An automatic failure (roll of 2) can have a very disastrous effect, but don't penalize the player too badly. An automatic success can have a spectacular effect, but try to limit that success to reality and the circumstances. It would be inappropriate for an arrow to make dramatic turns in mid-air and strike several people standing far apart, unless it has a very unusual and incredibly powerful magical enchantment on it.

Sometimes it is desirable to make an action check which does not involve any particular skill. For example, if a player wishes to recall a particular piece of information, there is no memory skill (although sometimes a special interest skill might apply). If this is the case, choose an attribute or characteristic suitable to the action check. The base TN is either the value of the characteristic, or twelve minus the value of the attribute. Modify it as normal. To compensate for the fact that the character gets no skill bonus, treat this action check as if the player has natural aptitude (roll 3 dice and take the best two).

A Brief Note about Languages

Under most conditions, you should not need to make action checks for normal talking, reading, or writing, because hopefully the character(s) will be fluent in the language in question. You should make any players fluent in languages common spoken in their local area, unless their character histories make this inappropriate. Keep in mind that a character can read, write, and understand a language without necessarily being able to speak it.

When you make an action check involving a language, keep in mind that most conversation is relatively easy, and should receive a minus modifier, but complex or technical discussions or documents are more difficult. You should make a separate roll for each character involved in speaking, listening, reading, or writing in the language if they are not fluent, but make only one roll per person per language for any conversation or document. If desired, you may make a roll every time the character speaks or listens, or for every sentence or page that is read or written, but this will considerably bog down game play and is not recommended.

Characters may become fluent in a language if they get enough practice at it. A character who gets any language skill up to level 5 or higher is considered to be relatively fluent, and will only need to perform a skill check under very adverse conditions (thick accent, or extremely complicated or technical conversation, for example). A character who gets any language skill up to level 8 or higher is considered totally fluent and never requires an action check.

Combat

Many adventures may center around combat, while for others it may be a rare occurrence, but chances are that the players will get themselves into a fight sooner or later.

In combat, it is especially tempting for players to attempt superhuman stunts, move at superhuman speed, and just generally do things to win that aren't technically possible. As Gamemaster, you must be sure to keep players on a tight reign. It is recommended that you divide combat into "rounds" of a certain length of time (about 5-10 seconds is usually appropriate), and update players on their enemies' movements every round, in between their own actions. Don't allow players to do too much in any one round. Keep in mind that even if something is physically possible, players doing more than one thing at a time must divide their concentration, and would therefore find all their actions more difficult.

The main things characters will do in battle is attack their enemies, move around, and use magic. A character should not make a complicated or difficult attack of any kind if they moved a significant distance in the same "round," or are dodging enemy attacks at the same time. A character who focuses all their attention on running should be able to move faster than a character trying to do something else at the same time. Characters trying to cast spells and move at the same time should incur a very large modifier to their magic action check, even if they are merely trying to walk quickly straight forward. Normal walking speed should incur a minor penalty to spellcasting, and any movement that is extremely slow (less than two feet per second) should not incur a penalty. Characters will have an easier time riding a horse while they do something else than they would running while doing it, but must make a horseback action check, and may automatically fail other actions attempted at the same time or even fall off their mount if they fail the horseback action check.

When a player or NPC (non-player character) is hit by an attack, their current health (HP) statistic is reduced. Damage for each weapon is listed on the equipment table, in the notation xDy + z. This means roll x dice of y sides each, and add z to the total result. Damage should be increased or decreased according to the quality of the weapon, the build of the wielder (for weapons other than crossbows), the target's armor on the location hit, and the margin of success rolled during the action check. Attacks that succeed with a very high margin of success or that inflict very large amounts of damage may, at the Gamemaster's discretion, have addition effects, such as knocking the target off their horse or simply to the ground, knocking them backward, stunning them, making it harder to use arms/legs that are hit, or even such dire effects as lost limbs. Anyone playing a Quin should be less susceptible to such effects.

Any time a character's current health (HP) is reduced below half of its original value, there is a chance that the character will be knocked unconscious. Make an action check to see if the character remains conscious. If the character has 40-49% of their HP left, the TN for the action check is 4. If the character has 30-39% of their HP left, the TN is 6. If the character has 20-29% of their HP left, the TN is 8. For 10-19% HP, the TN is 10. A character with less than 10% of their max HP left will automatically fall unconscious. An unconscious character may roll again to try to regain consciousness every 15 minutes, or automatically regains consciousness if their HP is increased up to at least 50% of its original value. A character with the toughness advantage may subtract one from each of the TNs. A character with the frailty disadvantage must add one to each TN.

This means that on average, a character will fall unconscious with about 1/4 of their HP left. This is an important element to the game, because a character whose HP are reduced to 0 (or below) will die, and although there is a resurrection spell in the game (unless the Gamemaster decides not to use it), it is a guarded secret known to only the most masterful magicians in all of Metharism, and is not easily cast, nor without a price.

Characters can continue to receive damage after they fall unconscious, but under most circumstances will not be attacked by an NPC (Gamemaster's discretion). The game isn't much fun if you die all the time.

Health, Mana, Edge, and Special Abilities

Certain statistics (Health, Mana, Edge, and the Racial Special) can only be used so much. Health is decreased when the players are wounded. Mana, edge, and the racial special are expended whenever the player chooses.

Mana is expended whenever the player casts a spell. Mana has a cumulative cost based on what syllables are used in the spell. Each syllable chanted consumes a certain amount of mana, varying depending upon the power level of the spell. A list of the costs can be found in the Gamemaster Files (downloadable from the Gamemaster's Reference page).

Mana is regenerated slowly. Normally, a character will regenerate one mana every hour when conscious, and five mana every hour when asleep. Multiply this regeneration rate by the character's maximum mana divided by 50, rounded up to the next whole number. This should allow any character to regenerate to their maximum mana after sleeping for 10 hours. Certain spells, magical artifacts, etc. may have an effect on mana regeneration rate. Also, any characters who take a physical blow to the head or fall unconscious during battle may not regenerate at half the normal rate, at the Gamemaster's discretion.

A character in a field of anti-magic being generated by a Zorr will quickly lose mana, and may not regenerate mana. While enveloped by an anti-magic field, a character will lose one mana per minute. The effects of anti-magic fields generated by separate Zorr are cumulative, so if there are 3 nearby Zorr all exuding anti-magic, a character will lose three mana per minute. A Zorr with the racial strength advantage may generate an anti-magic field of increased intensity (see below).

Edge may be expended to re-roll any action check (see above). The action check may be re-rolled an unlimited number of times, costing one point of edge per re-roll. Under normal conditions, edge is regenerated at the rate of one point every six hours.

The special abilites for each race are used as follows:

Intuition (Human) -- The player may not choose when to use intuition. Intuition is used automatically at the Gamemaster's discretion, and the player is not informed of how much intuition is expanded, and is not generally informed when intuition is used. When and how intuition is used is largely up to the Gamemaster, but here are a few examples to get you thinking along the correct lines:

If all players agree, the players may choose when to use their intuition, and what to use it for. The Gamemaster must then decide whether intuition can be used in the proposed way, and how much intuition would be consumed.

Any time a human uses intuition, there is a chance that the intuition will fail. Roll three six-sided dice. In the event that all three come up as ones, intuition has failed and will achieve the opposite of the desired effect.

Intuition should be recovered fully any time it is not used at all for a period of at least twelve plus the roll of one six-sided die hours. Until that time has elapsed, intuition is not recovered at all.

Racial Strength: A Human with racial strength will use intuition successfully 100% of the time. Also, one time out of six (or player's choice, if Gamemaster prefers) the Human will spend 50% more intuition to receive double the normal effects.

Psi (Talcon) -- Psi may be used to read someone else's mind, inplant a thought in someone else's mind, or prevent intrusion into your own mind. Reading someone else's mind will reveal the thoughts and emotions foremost in their mind at the time for a cost of 1 psi each. Sifting someone's mind for a specific piece of information requires between 3 and 15 psi depending on how hard the information is to find, and can take up to five full minutes. Implanting a thought in someone's mind costs 5 psi for each simple thought, which might be a simple sentence, basic emotion, or a simple mental metaphor.

Any time a Talcon feels someone entering their mind, they may attempt to stop them. The mind-reader will sense the defensive shield. If they choose to stop their attempt when they notice defenses, neither Talcon expends any psi. If the mind-reader attempts to force their way into the mind of the target, they must choose to expend a certain amount of psi in the attempt. The target may then choose to expend an equal amount of psi to keep them out, or to give up and let them in. Only one attempt to enter in with a specified amount of psi can be made each minute.

A Talcon may choose to guard the mind of someone else, even if they are not Talcon. A Talcon monitoring someone else's mind for intrusion must spend 1 psi per minute to watch for intrusion, and while doing so may defend that individual's mind the same as they can defend their own. No single Talcon may expend psi energy against or in protection of more than one mind at a time.

Psi is recovered at a rate of one fifth of the Talcon's maximum psi each hour if that Talcon is not expending any psi during the hour. A Talcon using psi will not recover any.

Racial Strength: A Talcon with racial strength may monitor minds for intrusion free of cost, attack or defend an unlimited number of minds as allowed by their psi limit, and performs all psi-related actions at twice normal speed.

Venom (Hilex) -- Hilexian venom is discharged into anything they bite, if the Hilex chooses to release it. While biting a victim, the Hilex may release between 0 and 3 venom each second. For each unit of venom discharged into the victim, they will lose one health (HP) every five minutes for one hour or until they receive treatment.

There are various methods in Metharism for converting venom into anti-venom. Each unit of Hilexian venom may be converted into one unit of Hilexian anti-venom using any available method. Each unit of anti-venom administered to a victim removes one unit of venom from their body. Hilexian anti-venom is not effective against other toxins.

A Hilex may attempt to spit venom using the Special Interest: Venom-Sptting skill. If the Hilex does not possess this skill, they may make an untrained action check. Venom can be spit from a distance of three meters with no modifier to the base TN for range; shorter distances get minus modifiers, longer distances get positive modifiers. Normally, venom spit in this way has no effect excpet to stick to the target. The target will not be poisoned unless the venom enters their body through a natural body cavity or an open wound. Only one unit of venom may be spit per spitting attack.

Venom may be recovered fully whenever a Hilex eats a reasonably large quantity of meat. For small servings of meat, venom regeneration is at the gamemaster's discretion. A Hilex may also recover one unit of venom every hour while asleep.

Racial Strength: A Hilex with racial strength may discharge venom in a bite or spitting attack twice as fast as normal, and his/her venom will remain in its victim two to three times as long if they do not receive treatment.

Fire (Ifreno) -- Fire can be used to breath a ray of fire from the throat. An Ifreno may discharge up to 3 fire per second while breathing fire. Each fire that strikes a target's exposed skin will inflict 2d6 damage (against another Ifreno or anyone who has the dowser (enemy) knack, reduce the damage to 1d6). Fire striking leather armor will inflict 1d6 damage (those with the above resistances take no damage). Fire striking metal armor inflicts no damage.

If fire strikes anything combustible, there is a chance that it will catch fire. The Gamemaster must determine how easily combustible the target is, and roll dice to determine whether it catches fire. As a general guideline, treated leather (e.g. leather armor) will catch on a roll of two six-sided dice if the total equals or exceeds 10. Untreated leather combusts on a roll of 8 or more. Trees combust on a roll of 11, but underbrush will combust on a roll of 7.

To determine whether an Ifreno hits the desired target, make an action check against their physical characteristic (rolling 3 dice and taking the best 2). Modify the TN as normal. Just about anything that would affect the accuracy of a bow will affect the accuracy of fire breath.

Under normal circumstances, an Ifreno can recover 1 fire per hour while awake and 3 per hour while asleep. An Ifreno suffering from cold will not recover fire, and in very cold conditions may lose fire over time. An Ifreno in warm conditions, such as a tropical environment, will recover fire at twice the normal rate. An Ifreno in very hot conditions, such as one near an active volcanic vent, may recover at three times the normal rate. Keep in mind that such very hot conditions may be intolerable to other races.

Racial Strength: An Ifreno with racial strength gets a -2 modifier to the TN of any fire attack, and a -1 modifier to the TN when checking whether the target is set on fire.   Furthermore, the damage from their fire breath is increased by 1d6 per fire unit, and may inflict 1d6 damage through metal armor, except against other Ifrenon and anyone with the dowser (enemy) knack.

Water Control (Aurq) -- This is the telekinetic ability to physically manipulate water, and also to subtly alter the properties of water (for example, to harden the water so that someone who strikes it will suffer from a greater impact, or change the hue to make water appear deeper or shallower). This has a variety of uses. Water control could be rapidly expended to create a pocket of air in the water, or to lift a bubble of water out into the air. Water control could keep water in an upturned glass or to clean up a spill. Just about anything that has to do with the physical manipulation of water is allowed.

As a general guideline, this ability consumes one point of water control per liter for each meter moved or for each 5 seconds the water is held suspended.  A minor change, such as a minor discoloration or slight hardening, would consume one point per liter each 5 seconds. A major change, such as hardening water enough to be walked upon or causing a radical color change would be more costly; how much more is up to the Gamemaster.

Keep in mind that whatever is being done must all be held in the Aurq's mind at once in every detail. Doing the same thing with a large amount of water as with a smaller amount of water consumes more water control but no more concentration; something complex, such as forcing water to hold the shape of a person, is much more difficult, because the Aurq would need to think of every detail of the shape at once or it would begin to blur. Anything simple that is done often enough can be done reflexively (incidental action), whereas other tasks might be the only thing the Aurq can think of at the time.

No Aurq may expend more than one tenth of their maximum water control in a minute. The distribution of use within that minute may be as uneven as desired.

No water control is recovered during the first 30 minutes after it is last used. After that, it is recovered at the rate of one water control every five minutes (12 per hour). Because of their affinity for water, an Aurq who is submerged may begin recovery after only 15 minutes, and may recover one water control every 3 minutes (20 per hour).

Racial Strength: An Aurq with racial strength will begin to recover water control after half the normal time, may spend water control twice as fast as normal, and can maintain complex shapes or maneuvers with considerably less concentration.

Aero (Folex) -- Aero allows a Folex to focus a concentrated gust of wind through their beaks directly ahead of them, somewhat similar to the Ifrenon's Fire. Unlike the fire, Aero is not capable of inflicting direct damage, although in incidents involving long drops can often result in damage nonetheless. Anyone who feels the full impact of an Aero attack will be stunned and possibly knocked down, but if they are prepared sustain minimal effects. Aero can be used to disrupt someone else's flight or to help a Folex fly against the wind by carving a path through unfavorable air currents. Aero can also be used to stabilize or speed another's flight, unless they have a natural ineptitude for flying (case in point: Kesprit).

Aero is a particularly accurate technique, so determine whether an Aero hits its mark the same as with Fire, but add all three dice to the total instead of taking the best two.

Under normal circumstances, a Folex can recover 1 aero per hour while awake, or 3 per hour while asleep or flying (2 per hour while flying if there is a significant tailwind).

Racial Strength: The aeros of a Folex with racial strength strike with twice as much kinetic force, and have a -3 modifier to their accuracy TNs.

Earth Control (Terrack) -- The function of earth control is almost identical to that of water control, so most of the same guildlines apply.  Earth control is used to manipulated soil and stone, which is done slightly differently than water, though.  It is not usually difficult to get a formation of soil or stone to retain its formation, and so it requires little or no effort to maintain a shape.  Earth control functions promarily upon expansion and compression of stone and soil, so levitation is out, but it has myriad applications for building or destroying.  It is used frequently in the construction of tunnels and fortifications.

A few changes other than expansion and compression may be implemented if the Gamemaster approves (although often a creative use of those two skills is sufficient).  For example, soil could be sifted for minerals, that could then used to form a solid rock.

Earth control is generally ineffective against weapons and armor of a Terrack's opponents for two reasons: first of all, its range is extremely limited, and the Terrack must almost be touching the target of his/her abilities.  Secondly, intense heat dulls the memory of the earth in stone and metal ores, significantly reducing the effectiveness of earth control on them each time.  Since most weapons and armor are subjected to repeated heating and cooling processes as they are forged, they tend to come out almost totally resistant. Similarly, Terrack will have great difficulty manipulating igneous rocks, though it can usually be done.

Earth control may sometimes, with consdierably difficulty, be used to separate an alloy into its component materials. No other earth control operation may ever be performed on an alloy.

No earth control is recovered during the first 30 minutes after it is last used. After that, it is recovered at the rate of one earth control every five minutes (12 per hour). Because of their affinity for earth, a Terrack who is underground may begin recovery after only 15 minutes, and may recover one earth control every 3 minutes (20 per hour).

Racial Strength: A Terrack with racial strength may use earth control from a distance of up to 20 meters with no added difficulty, and have an increased ability to manipulated forged or volcanic materials, but not alloys.

Anti-Magic (Zorr) -- The natural abilities of the Zorr enable them to drive mana out of their immediate area, preventing the use of magic. The use of this ability costs 1 anti-magic for every five minutes (12 per hour), and prevents the casting of spells, the operation of magical or enchanted items, the cohesion of magical illusions, the beneficial or negative effects of magical potions or toxins, and pretty much all other magic within a radius of 20 meters. Any spell casters within this area cannot regenerate mana, and will lose mana at the rate of one per minute.

The anti-magic fields of multiple Zorr are cumulative, increasing the rate of depletion of mana.  However, multiple Zorr do not increase the size of the anti-magic field.

Certain very powerful magical effects may endure the effects of Zorrian anti-magic. The mages that can operate in such a field are rare or nonexistent, but archmages can cast certain powerful spells (usually some kind of barriers) that remain active in a Zorr anti-magic field for a prolonged length of time, or possibly just reinstitute themselves after the Zorr are gone. Naturally magical items or entities (such as elementals) are always resistant enough to retain at least some shadow of their former effect in the range of a single Zorr, but prolonged exposure or the cumulative effects of many Zorr can dissipate even them.  Elementals will eventually weaken and fade away, and items naturally or artificially magical will eventually permanently lose their effects.

Remember that although many abilities, such as racial specials, might seem magical, they are not. Only objects or entities determined to be naturally magical by the Gamemaster, or any abilities triggered through the use of mana, are considered magical, and nothing else is affected by a Zorrian anti-magic field.

Anti-magic is recovered by any Zorr not actively using their ability at the rate of 2 anti-magic every five minutes; however, anti-magic cannot be recovered if the Zorr is under a constant and powerful magical effect of any kind.

Racial Strength: A Zorr with racial strength may increase the range of intensity of their anti-magic field for a proportional cost.  A double-size field costs twice as much anti-magic, and a double-intensity field costs twice as much anti-magic.  A double-size, double-intensity field costs four times as much anti-magic. A field which has normal intensity at double range but double intensity at normal range costs three times as much anti-magic as normal.

Smoke (Kesprit) -- Kesprit no longer retain the ability to breath fire that their dragon ancestors once had, but they can still breath out smoke. A Kesprit may breath out up to 5 units of smoke a second, but must spend every other second inhaling. Each unit of smoke is equivalent to one liter of thick, black, sulfrous smoke that quickly expands. If out of doors, the smoke will dissipate and become invisible within the hour, but in the mean time will fill a fairly large area and make seeing very difficult.  In very large concentrations, smoke will make it difficulty for non-Kesprit to breath normally. Kesprit is slightly less dense than normal air, and so will rise over time, but not quickly.

Smoke regenerates at a rate of 1 unit every 3 minutes (20 per hour) under almost all conditions. The Gamemaster may determine what bizarre circumstances would change such a fundamental bodily operation.

Racial Strength: The smoke of a Kesprit with racial strength is three times as thick as normal.

Regeneration (Quin) -- Regeneration allows Quins to heal their bodies at an extraordinary rate. Regeneration may be activated and deactivated as the player chooses, even if their character is not conscious.   While regenerating, a Quin expends one regeneration every minute and recovers 1% of their maximum HP. While not regenerating, a Quin recovers one regeneration every 5 minutes (12 per hour) regardless of ALL circumstances, and recovers health no faster than any of the other races.

Remember that Quin cannot be truly killed unless their bodies are totally destroyed; however, because the 0 HP point is not crucial, Quin can continue to receive damage after they have been "killed" and have a negative amount of health.  This increases the amount of time the Quin must spend healing before they can recover consciousness.  Because Quin can use their regeneration ability (or recover regeneration, if they are not using it) even while they are "dead," however, they should still be able to come to their senses in a reasonable amount of time.

Racial Strength: A Quin with racial strength recovers one regeneration every minute while not regenerating, instead of one every five minutes.

Will (Kiquei) -- One of the strangest abilities, arcane perhaps even beyond magic, is the will of a Kiquei. Will is used to warp reality in a localized region to suit the Kiquei's whims. It is recommended that a Gamemaster disallow Kiquei characters unless he/she feels he/she has a good idea of how this ability works.

A subtle alteration of a natural law, such as fooling with light, generally costs 1 will per minute per cubic foot of space affected. Major subversion of a law, such as reversing the properties of gravity or entropy, costs more along the lines of 1 will per second per cubic foot of space affected. Cost is cumulative for each alteration within the targeted area.

Note that the affected area is only where the laws have changed, and this may have an indirect effect on other areas at no additional cost.  For example, causing light to vanish when it enters a certain area would mean that anyone looking through that area, though they are well out of the affected area, to see nothing but darkness.

Kiquei can only use will independently of one another.  There is no known method for detecting the use of will other than by observing its effects, and because the effect is so direct, coordination of effort is virtually impossible. For most purposes, assume that Kiquei cannot work together with their will.

Usually the effects of will vanish immediately after the Kiquei stops using will, but a permanent effect can be achieved if an object can be sufficiently warped using will to retain its effect when it is only acted upon by the normal natural laws. For example, if a Kiquei decided to make gold reactive, it would not remain reactive after the effect had dissipated, but it could react with something during the duration of the effect to indirectly achieve a lasting effect. A Kiquei could make a wall transparent, but it would not remain transparent unless they actually turned it into a transparent material.

Will recovery is affected by mood.  Normally, will is recovered at a rate of one will every five minutes (12 per hour), but a bored or apathetic Kiquei would recover more slowly, while an excited or zealous Kiquei would recover more quickly.  Because of this, recovery rate is determined largely by the Gamemaster.

Racial Strength: A Kiquei with racial strength may make any reality alteration at the cost of one will per minute per cubic foot, regardless of its intensity. Cost of multiple alterations are still cumulative.

Tangibility (Ethereal) -- This is the simplest racial special to use. Any Ethereal can become tangible or not at will. While tangible, an Ethereal expends one tangibility every minute. While intangible, an Ethereal recovers one tangibility every three minutes (20 per hour).

Racial Strength: An Ethereal with racial strength recovers one tangibility every minute while intangible.

 

If there is anything I failed to cover that you think should be added here, please email me.